Chair



March 9, 1943. L. LARSEN m CHAIR Filed June 28, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1March 9, 1943,

I L. LARSEN ETAL crmm Fil'ed June- 28, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n-vs.-

Patented Mar. 9, 1943 CHAIR Lewis Larsen and Elof P. Klar, Menominee,Mich., assignors to Heywood-Wakefield Company, Gardner, Mass., acorporation of Massachusetts Application June 28, 1940, Serial No.342,926

9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in chairs and it consists of thematters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

The present invention is more especially concerned with that type ofchair wherein the seatsupporting means is mounted on a base for aforward and a backward cushioned, rocking movement and wherein it ispossible readily to shift the position of the seat-supporting meansrelative to the cushioning means. With such an arrangement, the effectof the weight of the occupant on the cushioning means may be altered sothat the rocking action may be easily changed from a relative soft oreasy one to a stiffer one.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a chair of thetype mentioned, which is more simple in construction than has heretoforebeen possible so as to embody fewer parts and which parts are correlatedto operate efficiently for the intended purpose.

Another object of the invention is to provide a chair of this kind whichmay be more readily and accurately adjusted when it is desired to changethe rocking action from a soft or easy one to a stiffer one and viceversa.

Also, it is an object of the invention to provide a chair of this kindwherein the parts are so arranged that while they are easily accessiblefor adjustment, they are substantially concealed from view from thefront of the chair and therefore the chair gives no indication of itscharacter.

The above mentioned objects of the invention, as well as others,together with'the several advantages thereof will more fully appear asthe specification proceeds.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a chair embodying the preferredform of the invention, parts of which are illustrated as broken away andin section for a better illustration of the structure involved.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the chair as taken on theline 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, on a somewhat enlarged scale,through a part of the chair as taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 with theseatsupporting means shown in diagrammatic outline and in two differentpositions of adjustment.

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale,through a part of the chair as taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical detail sectional view through anotherpart of the chair, on the scale of Fig. 4, as taken on the line 55 ofFig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a detail vertical sectional view through a part of the chairas taken on the line 6-45 of Fig. 2 and on a scale greater than that ofsaid Fig. 2.

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention illustratedin the drawings, ii] indicates as a whole the floor-engaging base of thechair and II indicates as a whole, the seatsupporting means of thechair.

The base 10 includes laterally spaced side bars or rails l2l2 thatconverge rearwardly toward each other and are operatively connectedtogether by front and rear cross bars l3 and i i respectively. [5indicates a shaft that extends transversely of the base in a planebetween the cross bars 13 and I4. Said shaft is non-rotatively fixed atpoints toward its ends, upon the top edges of the side bars l2 of thebase by clips I5 and the end portions of said shaft extend laterallybeyond said side bars.

The seat-supporting means i! includes a seat I! and a back rest l8, bothsuitably upholstered, and side portions l9 which may be made of wood andsuitably covered. Said side portions It, which are substantiallyparallel, are so spaced apart that they are disposed in vertical planeslaterally outward from the planes 'of the side rails I2 of the base.Along the bottom portion of the outer face of each side portion 19 is alongitudinal cleat 20.

In the bottom of each side portion i9 is provided a transverselyextending sleeve 2i (see Fig. 6) which extends into and substantiallythrough the associated cleat. The sleeves 2i receive the associated endparts of the shaft l5 outwardly beyond the clips it and whereby theseat-supporting means has a bearing on said shaft and is capable of aforward and a backward rocking movement relative to the base. The sidemembers lt-lS of the seat-supporting means ii are operatively connectedtogether at a point above and rearwardly of the cross bar i i of thebase by a transverse bar 22 as best appears in Fig. 1.

On the longitudinal median line of the chair as a Whole and consideredfrom front to the rear of the chair, is located a resilient means 23 forcushioning the rocking action of the seat supporting means ll. Saidmeans includes a single U-shaped spring, preferably of a fiatcrosssectional stock, that has upper and lower legs 24-25 which areconnected together at their front ends by a crotch or rounded portion26. When this spring is in operative position. as

24 has a boss 24a welded to its bottom side and said end part of saidleg and said boss are drilled and threaded to receive a screw 46. Thebottom end of this screw carries a cross pin 21 whereby said screw maybe turned manually. The upper end of said screw is made as a reducedextension 28 that is journalled for a turning movement in the crossmember 29 of an inverted U shaped clip 30.

The clip 33 also includes ears 3|. that depend from the ends of thecross member 29 and said ears are disposed to engageagainst the opposedfaces of depending flanges 32 and to which they are pivotally connectedas by rivets 33.. Each flange 32 is made as a part of an L-shapedbracket 34 that is fixed to the underside of the cross bar 22 thatconnects. the side members |9l9 of the seat-supporting means H together.From the above, it is apparent that the clip is capable of a limitedrocking movement with respect to the cross bar 22 and that the screw 43may be turned relatively to said clip and to the leg 24 of the springand its boss 24a.

The lower leg 25 of the U-shaped spring, which is shorter than the upperleg, engages flatwise upon a supporting member .35. This supportingmember, which is disposed in the vertical plane of the U-shaped spring,is operatively secured at its front end to the bottom edge of the frontcross bar of the base. It]. Its rear end is fixed in the bottom end of aU-shaped clip 36,. the top end of which is pivotally connected as at 31to a pair of cars 38 fixed to the front side of the cross bar M of thebase. The rear end extremity of the leg 25 is disposed within and issuitably secured to the clip 36 by the same pin or rivet 39 (see Fig. 3)that secures the rear end of the member in said, clip.

To prevent the lateral displacement of the leg 25 from its supportingmember 35, we secure a transverse plate 40 to the underside of themember. 35 by a rivet 4|, the member being located a suitable distanceforwardly of the cross bar [4 of the base. A guide clip 42 straddles theleg 25 and associated part of the member 35 and the ends of this clipare secured to the ends of the plate 40.

When the occupant of the seat causes a backward. and a forward rockingaction on the seatsupporting means I! as a whole from its normalposition of rest, said means rocks about the shaft l5. In the rearwardpart of the rocking movement of the means H, from said position of rest,toward the limit of the direction mentioned, the leg 24 of the U-shapedspring flexes from the crotch to move toward the leg 25. In the forwardrocking movement of the means II, the leg 24 of the said U-shaped springflexes upwardly so that the crotch opens up and the forward part of thelower leg bears upon that part of the bar 35 in advance of the clip 42thereon. In this movement of the leg 25, the

the are through which the means H swings about the shaft. If thismovement of the means H is sufficient to flex the bar 35, the said barwhich has a lengthwise, shallow reverse curvature formation, tends toelongate. When said bar so elongates, as its rear end is fixed to theclip 36, then said clip swings rearwardly about its axis to accommodatethat elongation. This elongation is not of any considerable degree sothat but a slight swinging movement occurs in the clip.

Of course, action of the U-shaped spring is such as to return the meansH to the normal position of rest when the occupant leaves the seat l1.

With the parts of the chair in the position shown in Fig. 1 and whereinthe seat is subjstantially horizontal, the rocking action of the bar 35flexes butslightly, if at all, according to means is one between aso-called soft rocking action and a stiff one. If the soft rockingaction is desired, then the screw 45 is turned to thread down throughthe boss so as to tilt the seat I! downwardly toward the rear. Thus, theaction of the Weight of the occupant functions in a plane substantiallyperpendicular to the plane of the leg 24 of the spring element and suchweight is more effective.

If a stiffer rocking action is desired, the screw 46 is turned in theother direction so that the means H is tilted slightly forwardly-aboutthe axis of the shaft 15 so as to impart a slight inclination to thefront part of the seat. This change in inclination is enough so that theweight of the occupant is imposed on the legs of the spring element atan angle less than the perpendicular and is thus less effective to flexsaid legs so that relatively the spring becomes stiffer. These twopositions of adjustment appear in full lines and in dotted lines in Fig.3.

The chair is of a relatively simple construction, is quiet and free fromsqueaks under rocking action and the rocking action may be readilyadjusted without the use of tools, byturning only the member 26. Theoperating parts of the chair, while disposed so as to be concealed from.view from the front of the chair, are readily acseat supporting meansmounted thereon for a backward and forward rocking. movement, said baseincluding a forwardlyand-rearwardly ea tending member which iscapable-of a longitudinal flexirg, a spring-like element arrangedbetween said base and said seat supporting means for cushioning saidrocking movement, said element including upper and lower legs extendingforwardly and rearwardly of. the chair and being 'operatively connectedtogether at one end,

said lower leg having supporting engagement upon and being operativelyconnected to said forwardly and rearwardly extending member, and means.operatively connecting. the other end of said. upper leg of. saidspring-like. elementto said seat supporting Imean's'. f a

2. A chair embodying thereina base and a seat supporting means mountedthereon for abackward and forward rocking movement, a longitudinallyflexible member extending forwardly and rearwardly of the base andoperatively secured at one end to said base, means for supporting theother end of said member from said base so as to be capable of a limitedlongitudinal movement relative to the base, a spring-like elementarranged above said member for cushioning the rocking movement of saidseat supporting means, said element including upper and lower legsextending forwardly and rearwardly of the chair and being operativelyconnected together at one end, said lower leg having supportingengagement upon and being operatively connected to said forwardly andrearwardly extending member, and means operatively connecting the otherend of said upper leg of said spring-like element to said seatsupporting means.

3. A chair embodying therein a base and a seat supporting means mountedthereon for a backward and forward rocking movement, a member extendingforwardly and rearwardly of the base and operatively secured at one endto said base, means including a link swingably mounted upon the base andto which the other end of said member is operatively connected forsupport, a spring-like element arranged above said member and arrangedsubstantially parallel therewith for cushioning the rocking movement ofsaid seat supporting means, said element including upper and lower legs,said lower legs having supporting engagement upon and being operativelyconnected to said forwardly and rearwardly extending member, and meansoperatively connecting the other end of said upper leg of saidspring-like element to said seat supporting means.

4. A chair embodying therein a base and a seat supporting means mountedthereon for a backward and forward rocking movement, said basecomprising side members and front and rear cross bars, a longitudinallyflexible forwardly and rearwardly extending member operatively disposedbetween the side members of the base and connected at one end to one ofsaid cross bars, means connecting the other end of said last mentionedmember to the other of said cross bars so as to be capable of a limitedlongitudinal movement toward and away from said other of said crossbars, a spring-like element for cushioning the rocking movement of saidseat supporting means, said element including upper and lower legsoperatively connected together at one end, said lower leg bearing uponand being operatively connected to said forwardly and rearwardlyextending member for support thereby, and means operatively connectingthe other end of the upper leg of said spring-like element to said seatsupporting means.

5. A chair embodying therein a base and a seat supporting means mountedthereon for a backward and forward rocking movement, said basecomprising side members and front and rear cross bars, a forwardly andrearwardly extending member associated with the base and disposed in aplane between the side members of the base, means operatively connectingthe front end of said member to said front cross bar, means providing aswinging link connection for the other end of said member with said rearcross bar of the base, a spring-like element arranged above said memberand having upper and lower legs that extend forwardly .and rearwardly cfthe chair, said lower leg engaging upon and being operatively connectedto said forwardly and rearw-ardly extending member, and meansoperativelybonnecting the other endof said upper leg to the seatsupporting means.

' 6. -A chair embodying therein a base and a seat supporting meansmounted thereon for a backward and forward rocking movement, said basecomprising side members and front and rear cross members, a forwardlyand rearwardly extending member operatively disposed between said sidemembers of the base and connected at one end to the front cross member,a pendently hanging U-shaped link pivotally connected to the rear crossmember of the base and operatively receiving and having the other end ofsaid forwardly and rearwardly extending member operatively connectedthereto, a spring-like element between the seat supporting means and thebase and including upper and low-er legs connected together at one end,said lower leg having its free end disposed in and operatively connectedto said U-shaped link, means surrounding a part of said forwardly andrearwardly extending member and a part of said lower leg at a pointbetween its ends to prevent lateral separation of said leg and saidforwardly and rearwardly extending member, and means operativelyconnecting the other end of said upper leg to said seat supportingmeans.

7. A chair embodying therein a base and a seat supporting means mountedthereon for a backward and forward movement, a spring-like elementdisposed between said base and said seat supporting means for cushioningsaid rocking movement, said element including upper and lower legsextending from the front to the rear of the chair and operativelyconnected together at one end, means for operatively securing the otherend of the lower leg to said base, means for operatively securing theother end of said upper leg to said seat supporting means and includinga member pivoted to said seat supporting means, and a screw-like memberswivelled in said last mentioned member and having a threaded engagementwith said other end of said upper leg of said spring-like element.

8. A chair embodying therein a base and a seat supporting means mountedthereon for a backward and forward movement, a spring-like elementdisposed between said base and said seat supporting means for cushioningsaid rocking movement, said element including upper and lower legsextending from the front to the rear of the chair and operativelyconnected together at one end, means for operatively securing the otherend of the lower leg to the base, means for operatively securing theother end of said upper leg to said seat supporting means and includinglaterally spaced ears secured to a part of said seat supporting means, amember pivotally connected to said ears about an axis disposed at aright angle to said upper leg, and a screw member swivelled in saidpivoted member and having a screw-threaded engagement with theassociated end of said upper leg of the said spring-like element.

9. A chair embodying therein a base and a seat supporting mean mountedthereon for a backward and forward movement, a spring-like elementdisposed between said base and said seat supporting means for cushioningsaid rocking movement, said element including upper and lower legsextending from the front to the rear of the chair and operativelyconnected together at one end, means for operatively securing the otherYears, and a screw member having a swivel connection with said clip andhaving a screw-threaded connection with the associated end of said upperleg of said spring-like element.

LEWIS LARSEN. ELOF P. KLAR.

